Let’s talk about depression. Last week, The Lancet published research into the effectiveness of antidepressants. The study was vast, taking in 21 drugs prescribed to nearly 120,000 patients in more than 500 trials across almost four decades. And the results? Every single medication was more effective than a placebo in treating adults with major depressiveContinue reading “The drugs really do work. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today”
Monthly Archives: February 2018
Justin Trudeau takes his Captain Snowflake act to India
If your week was less than fun, spare a thought for Justin Trudeau. The Canadian Prime Minister’s seven-day visit to India went down like an undercooked biriyani on the subcontinent. When he landed in New Delhi last Saturday, Trudeau was greeted on the tarmac, not by the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister but by theContinue reading “Justin Trudeau takes his Captain Snowflake act to India”
Telt! The day Mr Nice Guy snapped at Nicola
Remember that terribly progressive teacher at school? The one who insisted you call him by his first name and worried that homework might be a human rights violation? Ken Macintosh is the trendy teacher of the Scottish Parliament. As Presiding Officer, it’s his job to keep order but he just can’t bring himself to stampContinue reading “Telt! The day Mr Nice Guy snapped at Nicola”
Bring back military service? We would need to bring back the military first
‘The British are good at paying taxes but detest drill,’ Winston Churchill once observed. ‘The French do not mind drill but avoid taxes.’ France’s president Emmanuel Macron has reminded us of the wisdom of Winnie by announcing the return of compulsory national service, 17 years after it was abolished. Les jeunes français will be obligedContinue reading “Bring back military service? We would need to bring back the military first”
Did Jeremy Corbyn bring down the Iron Curtain?
There are two competing theories about how the Soviet Union collapsed. One holds that Ronald Reagan’s moral leadership against communism and bolstering of US defences weakened Moscow’s will and buried them economically. The other contends that Mikhail Gorbachev’s domestic reforms and wise diplomacy brought down the Iron Curtain in spite of the cowboy in theContinue reading “Did Jeremy Corbyn bring down the Iron Curtain?”
The SNP should reinvent itself
The SNP, you’ll be distressed to learn, are having a time of it. The party is embroiled in a deputy leadership contest that could have been designed by their worst enemies. Angus Robertson, who lost his Moray seat last June, has resigned, depriving the party of one of its most formidable and respectable advocates. HisContinue reading “The SNP should reinvent itself”
A rapier wit adds to the gaiety of politics but it takes more to be a leader
Jacob Rees-Mogg is everywhere at the moment. He’s on TV so much I fear the producers of Question Time have lost Nigel Farage’s mobile number. Videos of his parliamentary speeches attract hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. He even gained the respect of rivals after being jostled by far-Left protesters at a university eventContinue reading “A rapier wit adds to the gaiety of politics but it takes more to be a leader”
Will the SNP ever be able to govern?
There is a gloom out there. A creeping suspicion, beneath the surface in some places, voiced openly in others, that something has gone wrong. Where it can be heard it is done so in bars and coffee shops and offices and even where it isn’t you can feel it. Those who seldom discuss current affairsContinue reading “Will the SNP ever be able to govern?”
Holyrood’s latest cop drama? It’s the poor man’s Netflix
If the Police Scotland saga were a Netflix series, it would now be in its tenth season and even diehard fans would be wondering if it was time to call it a day. The current storyline has seen Chief Constable Phil Gormley accused of multiple misconduct, go on special leave, be told he was comingContinue reading “Holyrood’s latest cop drama? It’s the poor man’s Netflix”
The paranoid style in British politics
Is the Daily Telegraph front page anti-Semitic? Not intentionally, I don’t think. It is, however, an astonishingly ill-judged rocket-fuelling of a story that belongs, at best, six or seven pages in. In its rush to damn the hated Remainers, the paper has oversold a middling story, splashed in primary colours a tale better told in pastels,Continue reading “The paranoid style in British politics”
Stephen Daisley 